UTI, again? STILL!!!

This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog.

Toto went off antibiotics for a UTI last week. He is currently at the vets, on fluids for another UTI, his fifth one in the last two months. His urinary PH is 9, he is already on urinary acidifiers and he drinks plenty of fluids as well as gets water in his WET food.
Xrays are negative for stones, blood work is okay (only values off were due to dehydration and it was done on a hot day AFTER he had been chasing chickens for about an hour.)
He has had a number of cultures (we are sending out ANOTHER ONE today), and the antibiotics have been the ones indicated by the cultures. He gets ALL the antibiotics and they are given at the exact same time a day, for a minimum of two weeks and sometimes even longer.
He is currently eating Earthborn Holistic, after refusing to eat the Senior diet the vet was recommending.
HELP??????

Toto, i'm so sorry. I can just imagine how frustrating it is. I had recurring UTIs as a young pup. I would have suggested an ultrasound as well. The good news is it was normal, and I'm glad for that.

I think the key is to figure out why the PH levels are high. From what I can tell from the research I did, is high PH levels facilates bacterial overgrowth which may be why they keep coming up. Look here and check out the causes of complicated UTIs:

Also, forgive me if you mentioned it already, but I remember when I had my third UTI in a row, the vet did a urine culture before I started antibiotics and then did another culture a few days later to see if that antibiotic was working. It turned out it was but not as fast as the vet expected it to, so we switched to another medication and did another culture. Found it was working. WEll, that was the last UTI I had.

I did eat the prescription food (Royal Canin Urinary S/O) and I never got another UTI. I eat anything so I didn't care what I was eating. Ideally, mom didn't want me eating that crap, but hey, it worked, so she would do it again if it were to come up.

Last thing...have you been tested for diabetes? it's a long shot, but I also read that it can cause frequent UTIs:

http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Urinary_tract_infection

Sorry if you have seen all this. I'm just trying to throw out what it could possibly be helpful. I feel for you

Ok I know this is a long shot but is it possible the antibiotics are part of the problem? I-the person-have issues with antibiotics causing more problems then they solve. I would be tempted to try an herbal or natural remedy and see if that solves the problem. You could also check your water and make sure it is ok. Municipalities frequently fail to advise low risk/low level contaminations in water sources.

This is also a long shot........does he swim? Jax used to have UTI's every other week for years, I changed her food, water, had her x-rayed, ultra-sound, cultured, etc. I finally figured out that it was me who caused them. I gave her a bath every two weeks. To make it easier for me to rinse her, because her hair was so thick, I made her wade in a large kiddie pool which came up to her belly. Come to find out, the soap and bacteria were causing her UTI's. I felt like a horrible pet parent. Once I figured that out, her UTI's were gone forever. So, if he swims, and I know he's a male, but it is possible the bacteria in the water is causing it. Some of your pictures are of him on the beach. Could he be getting bacteria from the ocean?

Chance, your whole list HAS been ruled out, unfortunately, via xrays, ultrasounds and blood work. Short of exploratory surgery, which is now being talked about, everything tested has been normal.
My vets are trying to blame it on grain free food, but without any blood work to indicate he has kidney issues, it is a pretty hard sell since ALL my dogs, some older than he is, are on grain free and he is the only one with issues. Since he is an extremely skinny dog and will only eat grain free, they have agreed that this food is perhaps the only choice for him.
Yes, I did try him on premade raw but again, he wouldn't eat it so it isn't an option.
He does drink plenty of water, but is not an excessive drinker. While on antibiotics, he is 100% normal as far as urinating goes... within a few weeks of stopping the antibiotics, sometimes less, he begins urinating excessively and indicates to me he has a infection by his peeing on my bed AND by generally acting sick with a fever, listlessness and not eating at all.
We have repeated the urine culture a week after ending the antibiotics and he was fine, but sick again a few weeks later, so it does appear he is actually getting rid of them and then getting another.
Within four or five days of starting the antibiotics he is right back to his normal, happy self.
One vet tried to tell me he had kidney issues because of a mildy high BUN and Cl values on his last blood work (August 29th), but it was 90 degrees and he had been running chasing my chickens prior to the blood draw so, based on a low normal Creatine value and everything else normal that has now been attributed to being somewhat dehydrated.
He does not normally swim...yes, he kayaks frequently and visits the ocean about twice a year, but he rarely actually gets wet. Our ocean trips are only allowed off season so swimming is pretty much out on those since it is usually about 40 degrees. Interesting enough, he went for almost 6 weeks this Summer without a flareup, his longest time between UTI's in the last three or four years.
It is certainly perplexing!!!!